Claws and Talons [Kyo Sohma]

Chapter 44 - What's Your Name?

Word Count : 2010

"Akito?" There Akito stood not far away from Tohru and I. She was wearing a white kimono which was wet from the rain. The edges of the kimono were dirt and covered in mood. As I looked at the bottom of the outfit I noticed that she was not wearing any shoes.

"It's the end. The end is coming. Will you throw me away? Abandon me? Leave me behind? Are you happy now?" She looked at me talking. She turned to Tohru. "You won. You stole my place in the world. You made me the odd one out. Everyone likes you. Does that feel good?"

The loneliness of being left behind... Akito was currently the best example of how it could affect a person... Why was I being so selfish? I was so caught up in what I wanted and because of it I forgot about my promise to my mother. My promise to keep Akito safe and to protect her. To help her be happy.

"Thanks to the two of you I'm alone! A mistake. The bad guy. Does that feel good?! I hate you! I hate you both!" Akito shouted as the rain continued to fall on the three of us."You wrecked my whole world and still get to be the pure ones." Akito raised her arms and was pointing a knife in our direction. I could see her arms shaking as she continued to speak. "You're the dirtiest of us all!"

Akito... for so long she's had a mask to hide the pain and the loneliness that she's felt. And now with everything happening it's starting to fall apart and the mask is falling off.

I watched as Tohru started walking over to Akito. Akito swung her arm with the knife, cutting Tohru's upper arm. It was bleeding and the rain made it look worse. I was trying my best to ignore the blood but I couldn't look away.

"Stay away! Stay away, you make me sick!" Tohru didn't stop her advancements towards Akito, as she waved her arms around with the knife keeping Tohru at arms distance. "Stay away!"

"All this time... You've been putting up a brave front because you've been lonely. From the beginning. Ever since you were born. The reason you keep talking about eternity and unchanging things... is because otherwise it is scary." Tohru said. "It's too scary to bear!" Tohru finished. Akito dropped the knife that she was holding and slapped Tohru in the face.

"Shut up!" She slapped Tohru again. I wanted to do something but I continued to stand still where I was. "You know nothing! Are you looking down on me?! I won't let you fool me or win me over! I...! I...!"

"I'm dirty. The truth is, even as I rejected your eternity... I wished the same things you did."

The things that Tohru was saying sounded like the feelings I had. The only difference was the fact she was acknowledging it and saying it out loud. Unchanging feelings. Bonds. But... I seem to have fallen in love with someone. I agonised over it... and he says he's disappointed in me... But I love him... Even if he doesn't love me back.

"People and feelings can't be bound down. I think you've already realised that, haven't you? And that stung you all this time. It's been sad and painful, and lonely hasn't it?" Akito was crying and I was no longer staring at Tohru's arm but the bloodied knife lying in the grass.

"I don't want this!" Akito cried. She let out a heartbreaking scream. "No, no! I don't want to be left behind!" Akito then ran into the woods behind us and Tohru soon followed. I wanted to go after them but I just stared at the knife.

I've decided not to stand still anymore. I'm going on ahead.

I stopped staring at the knife. I wasn't terrified of the blood. The last time I felt freedom like this was in the rain when my curse broke. Now I was standing in the rain and my fear of the blood was gone. I didn't hesitate and I went after Akito and Tohru. When I eventually found them they were near the edge of a cliff. At the bottom I could see Tohru's old tent from before she had moved in with us. Akito was holding onto Tohru, by her shirt.